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Editorials from around Pennsylvania

By The Associated Press

Updated:
04/23/2013 01:07:01 PM EDT

STATE PENSION NEWS IS GOOD, BUT DOESN'T ELIMINATE THE CRISIS

It looks as if smaller-than-expected payrolls for many school districts have left an unexpected surplus of state funds because the state reimburses districts for an average of 56 percent of their payrolls.

And in the year that ended June 30, $69 million of the state appropriation for school districts had not been spent, much of it earmarked for pension reimbursements.

With the payroll shrinkage continuing, an extra $140 million could be available this year.

The party line is that this will further reduce pension obligations for now and the future, impeding Gov. Tom Corbett's efforts at broad-ranging pension reform geared to getting a near-crisis shortfall on future payments under control.

That party line is dangerous.

We think it's a fortuitous development that these extra funds appear to be available as part of the pension reform discussion.

But, folks, let's get a grip.

The combined unfunded liability of the state system pension funds is $41 billion. That's "b" as in billions.

To alter a pension plan geared to bringing that debt under control because of a $209 million discovery and the possibility of future reductions is like getting $20 in the mail and using that as an excuse to go spend $100 on a mall shopping spree.

Look, if these kind of projections are real, perhaps some of the tenets of Corbett's plan can be modified to be less onerous.

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This could assure that benefits earned by all those in the system are maintained, which is morally correct. That would be great.

But let's not get carried away over this news and change the big-picture parameters. The state has a pension crisis that threatens its future ability to provide services it is responsible for and remain solvent. That hasn't changed.

We are thankful for the good news and hope the administration uses it in the honorable way - soften some of the harder edges of its pension reform plan.

— The (Williamsport) Sun-Gazette

RAISE GAS PRICES TO FUND TRANSPORTATION NEEDS

A recent traffic jam in Harrisburg was created by the type of pileup Pennsylvania motorists don't mind a bit.

State lawmakers, other public officials, and business, labor, transit, and recreation-trails advocates collided in their support of a long-awaited state transportation funding plan.

The blueprint, which is generating bipartisan support, includes $2.5 billion a year to fix highways, bridges, and mass transit systems around the state.

It appears that Pennsylvania is finally ready to address its long-deferred transportation needs.

The aggressive plan presented by House Transportation Committee Chairman John Rafferty (R., Montgomery) would deliver precisely what Gov. Corbett's own advisory panel recommended two years ago. Beyond repairing roads and bridges, it would provide critical funding for SEPTA and other transit agencies to improve safety and meet ridership demands.

Rafferty's plan smartly builds on the more modest transportation proposal the governor included in his budget proposal in February. He ratchets up Corbett's plan for higher licensing and registration fees by increasing surcharges on speeding tickets and for other driving violations without making the payments too painful for the average motorist.

At a time when gasoline routinely costs more than three dollars a gallon, the proposed increase in wholesale fuel charges would add only about 26 cents a gallon to pump prices over five years. That may seem steep compared with the current 32 cents per gallon in gasoline surcharges, but weekly it amounts to what many drivers spend for a large coffee.

Moreover, by turning to fuel taxes, the state would spread the burden more fairly to long-haul truckers who ply the state's roads - particularly, I-80 - but have avoided shouldering transportation costs built into higher tolls along the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

In another savvy move, Rafferty's proposal also provides funding for bicycling and pedestrian initiatives, meaning Pennsylvanians who get around under their own power would see gains.

But it's clear that between the governor's plan and the legislator's initiative, a solution to funding the state's critical transportation needs should not be too far down the road.

— The Philadelphia Inquirer

LET LEGISLATURE HANDLE TAX EXEMPTIONS

State lawmakers make a good case when they say tax exemption across Pennsylvania is unevenly granted.

A bill circulating in the state legislature would take that decision-making out of the hands of judges and place it in their own hands. Since tax exemption for nonprofits has been granted in a hodgepodge fashion, that consolidation of power into the legislature actually makes quite a bit of sense.

Last month, the state Senate passed a bill 30-20 that would take the judicial system out of the equation on who decides which nonprofit entities deserve tax-exempt status. The House finance committee approved a version of that bill, as well. Because that will require an amendment to the state's constitution, both houses must pass identical language, and then voters would weigh in.

The move comes because there are multiple instances where some entities are given tax-exempt status while similar entities elsewhere in the state are not. For example, a hospital in western Pennsylvania might get a local judge to give it tax-exempt status, while a similar hospital in, say, Scranton would not have that same luxury. By standardizing the process, lawmakers hope to standardize a uniform code that would determine when and where tax-exempt status is given.

Local municipalities fear this consolidation of power in Harrisburg will limit their ability to make local decisions. And, frankly, that's true. But some decisions shouldn't be made locally. This is an example of one of those times. While some municipal associations oppose this measure, the bill already enjoys wide support. Among its backers are the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the Association of Universities of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, and United Way of Pennsylvania.

Normally, we're in favor of any move that takes power out of Harrisburg and puts it in the hands of local decision-makers. But in this instance, it comes down to fairness. The state will be in a better position to more uniformly grant tax exemptions than local judges would. While this may not be a perfect solution, it likely will limit the instances where personal interpretation goes into the tax-exemption process.

— The (Carlisle) Sentinel

WIND LOGIC

Finally, a breath of fresh air amid all the stale rhetoric over wind-energy tax credits: The CEO of one of the nation's largest wind-energy companies says Washington should hold the subsidies, thereby enabling the industry's innovation and competition.

Patrick Jenevein of Tang Energy Group of Texas says the public subsidies are "misguided" and have effectively weakened the industry, which needs to "focus less on working the political system and more on research and development."

To wit: the rising cost of wind power. The federal government has dumped $8.4 billion into wind energy since 2009, the Boston Herald reports. And what happened to its cost? Why, it increased, of course—from $37 per megawatt-hour in 2005 to an average of $54 today.

But rather than devote the requisite attention and resources toward innovation, industry executives instead spend most of their time focusing on legal and accounting matters, Jenevein says.

Sadly, his is but one voice. The overwhelming chorus of wind-turbine spinners insist that their industry is entitled to unending federal handouts regardless of initiative, enterprise or free market forces, which separate business winners from losers.

But that sorry status quo only generates a lot of hot air.

— Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

SILENT KILLER

The story was really about the tragic outcome of a family in the throes of conflict and perhaps wrestling with mental health issues.

"Family of four found dead," Wednesday's headline read. "Dad's suicide leads to three more deaths."

The additional dead included 59-year-old Gary Reitnauer's wife, Michelle, 58, and his daughters Kimberly, a high school junior, and Jamie, who was in the fifth grade. The family lived in Milford, near Quakertown in Upper Bucks.

According to investigators there, a domestic dispute led to Reitnauer barricading himself inside a garage with a running car. The horrible result was that all four family members succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

We reprise the facts of this awful story as a bridge to a related development. On the very day that we reported the sad loss of the Reitnauer family, a state House committee approved legislation that sets standards for the use of carbon monoxide alarms.

Authored by state Rep. Frank Farry, who doubles as chief of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company, House Bill 968 didn't pass muster when it was first introduced more than a year ago. We couldn't understand why then—and we still don't.

Carbon monoxide is a deadly silent killer. And car engine exhaust isn't its only source. Any home utility powered by fossil fuel—an oil burner, a gas oven or water heater, even a fireplace—can emit enough fumes to poison the air in a home or any structure. And the fallout can be lethal.

What's so insidious about carbon monoxide is that it is odorless and tasteless. And the symptoms one would experience from its deadly effects mimic that of the flu. So victims remain unaware that they are being poisoned—unless they have a carbon monoxide detector in their home.

Maybe it was the deaths of the Reitnauer family that convinced members of the House Consumer Affairs Committee to do the right thing. Regardless, the committee on the morning of that terrible news passed Farry's bill, sending it on to the full House for a vote.

In considering the measure, lawmakers should be aware that Pennsylvania is a national leader in cases of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control. They also should be aware that more than 30 states require carbon monoxide detectors. Under Farry's bill, a seller would be required to disclose if a home has a carbon monoxide detector, which cost as little as $25-$30.

"The cost of a carbon monoxide detector is insignificant when compared to the cost of a person's life," Farry said following the committee's encouraging vote. How could anybody disagree?

OUARZAZATE, Morocco (AP) — The people are restive, the priesthood is scheming and a fanatic band of insurgents known as the zealots are plotting assassinations — and now to make matters worse, the body of a condemned cult-leader known as Jesus has disappeared from the tomb, apparently following some ancient prophecy. Full Story